Be Prepared For Life's Falls

Avoid Falls: A Very Personal Part Two In May 2008, I wrote an article for this publication stressing the importance of avoiding falls. Everyday in my law practice, I see the damage falls can do. And not just to the body: Disabling health problems have a habit of triggerJoseph S. Karp, ing nasty financial and C.E.L.A. legal problems, too. So guess what? Last week, this advicegiver fell. It wasn’t a big fall, maybe six inches off one step onto another. I pivoted and fractured several metatarsals in both feet. I’m not sure about what happened, but it was raining and I was wearing flip-flops. (And now we know why they’re called “flip-flops.”) Now I’m using a wheelchair and walker, and because I’m a guy who makes his living with brains and not brawn, I’m still able to work a full day. Next week I’ll have surgery, and hopefully mend quickly thereafter. I’m lucky that the disability will be temporary.

★ Listen to Joe Karp with Anita Finley on ★ Saturday, February 7 from 7:30-8:00 AM and Saturday, February 28 from 7:30-8:00 AM on WSBR 740AM and on the Internet at www.wsbrradio.com.

★

★

My wife is lucky, too. Observing her, I’m glimpsing first-hand some of the stresses caregivers endure. Lifting walkers and wheelchairs in and out of the van and helping me in and out of orthopedic boots have not been kind to her back. She’s taken over all the domestic duties that were once mine. And the 60 pounds of active, goofy mutt we recently adopted from Animal Care and Control is now hers alone to train, walk and feed. I got a little sloppy on fall prevention, but fortunately, I have always practiced what I preach with regard to estate planning. When I’m asked the best time to start planning, I always respond NOW. Obviously I never

anticipated this accident, which took all of two seconds to change my life. But at least my health documents were updated and ready to go, sparing my wife any unnecessary headaches as she dealt with doctors, the hospital, the health insurance provider and the medical supply company. If it had been a more serious accident with more longlasting consequences, I would have been prepared, too, as I (and my wife) have long-term care insurance. This contrasts with many of the people I see who, having failed to plan in advance, discover that their or a loved one’s disability has mutated from a health issue into a legal and financial crisis. As the old proverb states, Man plans and God laughs. We can’t control the cosmos, but we can do our best to stay in control of our own lives to whatever extent possible. Do your part to avoid falls that can lead to disability. Create a smart estate plan so that if the unexpected happens, you are prepared to deal with the situation. And, of course, never wear flipflops when it’s raining! Seminar schedule Note: the FEBRUARY 2009 seminars previously published in BoomerTimes are cancelled. Seminars will resume in March as follows: Port St. Lucie: Tues., March 3, 2pm to 4pm, Port St. Lucie Holiday Inn Palm Beach Gardens: Wed., March 4, 2pm to 4pm, Palm Beach Gardens Marriott Boynton Beach: Thurs., March 5, 2pm to 4pm, Courtyard by Marriott (formerly Catalina Holiday Inn) Joseph S. Karp is a nationally certified and Florida Bar-certified elder law attorney (C.E.L.A.) specializing in the practice of Trusts, Estates and Elder Law. His offices are located at 2500 Quantum Lakes Drive, Boynton Beach; 2875 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens; and 1100 SW St. Lucie W. Blvd., Port St. Lucie. Call him at 561-752-4550 (Boynton); 561-625-1100 (Palm Beach Gardens); or 772-343-8411 (Port St. Lucie). Toll-free from anywhere: 800-893-9911. E-mail: [email protected] or website www.karplaw.com